An Unknown Menace
by Mernel
Summary: The Mushroom Kingdom is apparently at peace after many threath have been thwarted. However, will it last? Take place after the games Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door.
1. Prologue

-We cannot let that continue, Chancellor! We must call Mario back from his tournament at once!

A young toad with purple dots on his white cap was arguing with the Chancellor of the Mushroom Kingdom. The latter was making only a semi-interested face while listening to the younger one. He responded while looking toward the window, the spring catching more his attention than the matter at hand.

-We have no proof that something is going on at the moment, Pigno, so disturbing the hero during the most important tournament of the year is out of question. You know yourself that many important persons are attending, and it would be disastrous if the Mushroom Kingdom lost one of his representative there. No, we will wait until there's no more doubt before contacting him.

-But, sir, there is an impending crisis at hand and

-No but, the chancellor said with force, just who would threaten the peace, please tell me? Grodus has been gone for more than six months now and the Shadow Queen died in the same period. No one in their right mind would actually try anything after seeing how Mario defeated them. Also, I heard that Bowser is also attending the tournament, so there's no more potential threat that would require a hero. Heck, the town guard would be more than enough to deal with anything left!

Breathing slowly, he asked the guard to escort Pigno outside, so he wouldn't cause a ruckus inside the castle. Not that it was really busy, quite the opposite actually. Almost all of the toad working in here were attending to both Princess Peach and Toadsworth at the aforementioned tournament.

Once outside, both guard surrounding Pigno let go of his arms and told him to go home.

-Yeah right, don't come whine that the hero is taking too long once trouble starts up. I know that I saw a large group of monster gathering outside the old Petalburg castle.

Hands in pocket, the young toad slowly started walking away, thinking. If there is indeed some trouble brewing up and the hero wouldn't come, he could always try to get his sidekicks to help out! He took off in a sprint toward his old and smartest friend's house, Russ. T.

-Russ, he said while barging in, Russ, are you here?

Looking around, the place hardly changed at all, except that it seemed like there were even more book laying around. If that was possible. A small shuffling sound was heard from the middle of the room, where Russ. T. apparently was taking a nap.

-What is it, Pigno? I hope it's important, I was having this wonderful dream where I could jump inside book and...

-Later, Russ, he interrupted, I need to know where are Mario's sidekick as soon as possible.

-That won't take too long to check, I always make sure to monitor their movement with this little star piece. Oh right, you probably didn't know that, star pieces are used to know things that would usually be outside of your reach. I suppose that's why that Merlow guy was collecting them, to actually improve his own power and not be the shame of the family. But I digress, here's what you wanted to know.

Russ passed the star fragment above a sheet of paper while closing his eyes, and after fifteen second yellow ink seemed to come from the inside of the paper.

-Well, here we go. Gombella and Kooper are both in the Dry Dry desert, looking for ruins with Kolorado. Bombette went to Fahr Outpost to get to know more about the Bob-omb. Bow and Vivian are inside Doopliss mansion, probably to get to know more about the Big Boo living there. Goombario and the small Yoshi Gonzales Jr. are both following after Mario inside the tournament. Flurrie is still playing the adventure she went through in the theater. And... Oh? For the rest you should come back tomorrow, the star went out of power.

The ink indeed looked a lot paler than it did a few seconds ago, and it soon disappeared.

-So, at the very least half of the strongest persons around are out town, and we only have the town guard to protect us, is that right?

Russ T. answered yes, intrigued, and asked if there was a problem.

-I'm sure I saw a large group outside the Petalburg castle, and they didn't look friendly. I wouldn't be surprised if we were to be attacked in a matter of days, and considering our troops force we would definitely get annihilated.

-Well, we could always go and check out for sure. I always wanted to check that castle first-hand to see if there are any piece of knowledge I could salvage. And in the worst case scenario it isn't too far from Koops's village.

-Oh right, Pigno said, he became mayor a little while ago so he's most definitely there! Good thinking, Russ! Let's leave as soon as possible!

-Right, give me a few minutes to gather some important item and I'll join you soon at the underground tunnel.

-Alright, he answered while smiling, we'll get to the bottom of this story for sure!

However, both Toad didn't know into what kind of adventure they were stepping into...


	2. Chapter 1

Good evening and thank you for reading! I thought that I should say a few thing :First of all, this is my first (And hopefully not my last) Fanfiction so please tell me what I can improve! That will be it for now, please enjoy!

The underground tunnel was quite chilly in comparison to the spring outside. Pigno shivered lightly, walking in circle to try and warm himself up while waiting for his friend. It was a good thing indeed that a warp pipe to Rogueport was found underneath the town, that way they spared themselves a week long ocean trip to get there. Blowing on his hand to make them warmer, Russ T. finally appeared on top of the stair with a backpack so big he had trouble walking straight. Pigno sighed.

-Wait up, I'll help you out. Geez, what did you put inside that, Pigno asked after taking the bag from his friend's shoulders. It weighs a ton! We're not going to be gone for a month!

-We can never be too prepared, you know, he replied, panting. I brought a monster book to identify anything that come our way, two days worth of food, an atlas to be able to locate ourselves correctly, a compass, some spare clothes for both of us, the star piece because it's too useful to pass...

-Okay, okay, I get it, we're now prepared for everything and more. Thanks, Russ. Let's go or else we won't be able to check the castle out before nightfall.

Entering the pipe was more arduous than Pigno imagined. The backpack kept getting stuck at every corner so he had to wiggle to make it free. What was usually instantaneous took almost half an hour. Glaring at his friend without saying anything, they continued on their way to the surface toward Petalburg. To remove some of the tension, Russ began to talk.

-So, how did you know that something was going in Hooktail's castle?

-Well, he answered, slightly embarrassed, I was trying to see if there were some forgotten coin boxes in there, I'm tired of sleeping outside, you see. Anyway, when I arrived in the vicinity I spotted a large mass of indistinct persons. There was one in front of all, probably making a speech or something but I was too far to hear anything. They all stayed still until the person finished talking, and then erupted into a clamor. That's when I recognized the pretty unique voice of Koopas and Goombas. I then ran as fast as possible to warn the chancellor of the possible threat but he wouldn't listen to me. I swear, since he got replaced by Toadsworth as Princess Peach's most trusted aide, he just can't make any important decision alone. It's either ''We must call the heroes!'' or ''If we do not need the heroes then it's pointless''. Pigno then took a pause in his story as they arrived into the warp pipe to Petalburg's meadow. He grumbled mentally, expecting to get cramped up again but it went by much faster than the first trip.

Leading the way in the late afternoon, Pigno was careful of his surrounding, not wanting to be ambushed by a Goomba or something meaner. Smelling smoke as they approached the castle, they both slowed down and crouched.

-It seems that you were right, something's going on there.

Russ T. was shaking badly. Pigno understood however, since his friend never really got close to danger before. Pigno himself was shaking slightly, only having limited combat experience so far. The sun was down too before they actually arrived at the castle. Getting slowly closer, they finally saw a fire in front of the entrance, where many silhouettes were sitting across them. They were probably eating, the difference in lighting made it difficult on both Toad's eyes to see things clearly.

Hidden by tall grass, Pigno let the luggage down to get on the ground. If he had to have proof to actually get the guard to come here, he'd get them! Before he could start crawling, Russ knocked lightly on his foot, telling him silently to wait. As he searched through his backpack, Pigno had a bad feeling. He felt _observed._ As his friend finally took his hand out of the bag, both heard a thud a few feet on their left. They were hidden from the fire by the bush, so they got up to be able to react more easily at what was coming. Russ got closer to Pigno and gave him a club with a mushroom engraved on it. He really did come prepared for anything, he thought, smiling. Holding it with both hands at eye level, he slowly approached the source of the noise.

From the grass emerged a Koopa on his hind legs,ready to fight. However something was wrong, as he wasn't firm on feet.

-If he's intoxicated then we have a chance, Russ! Pigno said that confidently, not seeing how he could lose to a wobbly turtle.

-Try to make it fall on his back! That's the Koopa's weakness!

A book in hand, Russ was helping out in this fight as much as he could, giving his friend more specifics about his foe.

-Here goes then!

He struck from the right, barely missing the Koopa who happened step backward. Caught by the momentum of his strike, he lost balance for a second, then tried a second hit, from the left this time. It met the chin of the enemy from below, successfully causing it to fall on his back. As soon as he touched the ground, the turtle hid all of his member inside his shell.

-You have two option now, either you hit it again with the club, causing damage or you kick it away so we can run. I'd suggest the latter one.

-I'll do just that then.

As he lifted his feet, a yellow light glowed from inside the shell. Pigno froze.

-Wh...What is that light, Russ?

Turning pages quickly, he shook his head violently. There was no information on this phenomena.

Suddenly, the light condensed into two points, coming from the hole the head was a moment before. Then, a spike erupted from what should have been the stomach of the Koopa. As the arm and legs were coming out and the enemy got up on all four, both Toad were frozen. The shell leaped, spike first, toward Pigno who tried to dodge a tad too late. Blood oozed out of the wound on his left arm, but after a quick check he noticed that it wasn't a serious wound. Turning toward Russ to say that they should escape however made him realized that they couldn't. The Toad was on the ground, trying to crawl backward in fear. He never was in a serious battle before and sure enough never saw any of his friends get wounded. Holding the club, decided to protect his friend, Pigno stood firm, waiting the right time to attack the now nimble shell.

Jumping to attack again, the Toad swiftly moved to one side and struck. He hit his target, but not in the middle, the shell starting to spin from the blow. By sheer luck, it landed hard on the spike who dug into the ground, effectively rendering it immobile. Pigno readied himself and struck downward, wanting to finish this once and for all. Sadly, that Koopa had another trick up his sleeve. It started to spin around so quickly that the spike, becoming an awkward drill, dug into the ground rapidly.

In a second, the shell came drilling right from below Pigno, who didn't have enough time to escape this time. The wind knocked out of his lung, he gasped for air as he felt an excruciating pain from his abdomen. As he fell on the ground, the warmth of his blood slowly permeated his clothes. He lost consciousness as the winner of this bout went toward Russ T.

An hour passed or a minute? He didn't know. The only thing for sure is that he was too weak to open his eyelids. Hearing some voices, he listened.

-What should we do with them, boss, a Koopa asked.

-I do not have use for Toads, dispose of them somewhere where they won't be found quickly. With their baggage, of course. We do not want to be seen with the items of a couple of dead persons. That would draw unwanted attention.

That voice... It sounded familiar to Pigno's ears, but he couldn't quite exactly remember where he heard it. He felt that someone was picking him up, pressing on his wound. The pain made him lost consciousness for the second time this night. His last thoughts were for Russ T., hoping at least he was able to escape.


	3. Chapter 2

_Pigno felt himself floating in darkness. Everything was cold and he couldn't move at all._

_-Well, I seem to have died, he thought, strangely calm. It's a shame, I hope that someone will understand that there's danger brewing right under our noses. And that voice... I'm absolutely certain that I heard it somewhere before. If I could only... Move a little..._

_With all his might he tried to move anything, however, arms, legs, fingers, head, nothing would budge._

_-Back to square one, I guess. Hopefully Russ could get away... Russ... I failed to protect him even though I'm the one who convinced him to accompany me. I must wake up, if only for his sake!_

_More violently than before, he tried moving, to no avail. He slowly felt his strength fading away. His thoughts were slowly drifting away..._

_-Sorry father, I guess that I'll leave before you... Russ... I hope I won't meet you there... Haha...ha..._

_The darkness got closer, suffocating him. Then, suddenly, a heat wave struck him. The shock was enough to make Pigno open his eyes again. He tried to move, and his finger answered correctly._

_-Wha... What was that?_

_A second and a third wave washed upon him. The darkness was slowly being replaced by light and sounds. A river was nearby, a bird was chirping happily overhead, the wind howled softly. And a person was humming close to his head. His eyes began to get accustomed to the light again, and he saw where he was._

-You shouldn't move, you are still weak, a soft voice said.

The owner was a young Dryite, a Toad originating from the Dry Dry desert. She was smiling behind a slightly transparent veil, green just like her mushroom cap. Her eyes were brown and caring, obviously she took care of him when he was unconscious.

_-_By the stars, you made it Pigno!

That voice...

-Russ!

As Pigno tried to get up, the pain on his stomach came back, successfully pining him down.

-Now now, calm down, you are both out of danger now, the young girl said happily, and you aren't moving until I say so, otherwise my healing will get less potent. You can talk all you want though!

And she resumed humming, eyes closed while tilting her head left and right in time with her beat.

-Were you hurt, too, Russ?

-I wasn't, I fainted soon after I saw you get that awful wound. I did woke up a little after that though, in time to get a little information. Another weirdo showed up and was talking with the first one about a plan to attack in three month. They didn't mention where though, but we can assume that they will be building quite a force in the meanwhile. We should focus on recovering and telling the Chancellor as soon as possible.

-Speaking of which, where are we, asked Pigno to the now singing Dryite.

-You are currently inside Amanita Plain, it is located several kilometer away from Petalburg, to the east. All of the other direction have no town however, the mountain all-around preventing convoy with material from coming. We are, to my knowing, the only family living east of Petalburg, so it's pretty calm in here.

-Thanks, um... I didn't quite get your name, sorry.

-Oh, don't worry about it, she said while smiling, that smile wasn't colder than the rest however, so Pigno decided to drop the subject. Since we can't get to a town any time soon, would you mind if we stayed the night at your house? We could use some more rest and would leave tomorrow morning.

She clearly was hesitating, but she finally decided to let them come. As they got up, both Russ and Pigno saw the horizon more clearly. They were on a small hill, right beside a little pond that continued in a river downhill. Above that pond was a waterfall, about 4 meter high. The plateau behind them was probably where they came from, since it was from the west. On the east, there was a vast, open plain, with a small house in the distance. It was truly a magnificent sight to behold. Once they began walking, the Dryite said that Pigno might get light-headed, since the healing wasn't complete.

After twenty long minute, they arrived. Pigno wasn't walking straight but he didn't want to make them lose time so he kept his mouth shut.

-I'm home, and I brought guests, she said with a stressful face on.

_Something definitely is strange her, Pigno thought._

In front of the door, a middle-aged Koopa arrived to welcome them.

-Ahh, finally, our first customers! I hope that number two was kind enough?

He was talking with confidence, all the while rubbing his hands against each others.

-Customers? What are you selling, asked Russ.

-Oh, so you don't know? Then come on, I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise.

With a weird smile, he gestured them to follow him. As they passed through the corridor, the Dryite was obviously getting more and more uncomfortable, but Pigno was too dizzy to actually ask her why. His state was deteriorating, he began to feel nauseous and slightly delirious, seeing as to how the wall were shaking around. They arrived in a living room of sorts where about a dozen of persons were already sitting in various couch or chair, listening to a radio.

-We have customers, get up. Now.

The coldness in his voice made Russ, who was the only one conscious enough to hear it, shiver.

-Now, how would you like to buy a slave, dear customer? They can do everything you ask: laundry, cleaning, cooking. Of course, anything you ask would be possible.

The wink he gave at that moment was too much for Russ, who began hating him fiercely. Keeping a cool head, however, he realized that their savior was actually a slave as well. His thoughts were going rapidly.

-How much for the Dryite?

Keeping his voice from shaking was harder than he thought, and he broke down on the last syllable. The slave-trader didn't notice though, too happy to finally being able to get a sale. He shifted his gaze toward her, who was helping Pigno stand by holding him under his shoulder. A hint of cupidity flashed through his face.

-Oh, Number Two, I see you have exotic tastes. She is indeed a nice specimen, almost the same age as you and I must say her cooking is quite good. For her, I'd say a thousand gold coin.

The silence that ensued was only broken by the radio, which was retransmitting a combat of some sort. Russ began opening his mouth, about to decline since he didn't nearly have that hefty sum, but the seller held up his hand, shutting him up.

-Just a second, it's almost over. His attention was directed toward the radio, where effectively the sounds of the crowd became more and more excited.

A flash pierced through his mind, as he suddenly began rummaging inside his bag. Finding what he wanted, he got close to the radio and, holding his hand above it, let the star piece fall while reciting the small prayer required for its activation. It began hovering in mid-air, much to the surprise of the Koopa who was still absorbed in the program.

-I have an offer, this piece for her.

An image shot from the star fragment, showing the battle that was going on in the radio. Apparently, it was a diffusion from the Glitz Pit. Rawk Hawk was fighting against the Koopinator once again, while the crowd was getting wild.

-This is marvelous! Of course, she's yours if you leave me that whatchamacallit! Hahaha, now I'll finally be able to see that star belt!

He seemed overjoyed, just like a child who got a new toy. The fight soon came to an end, Rawk Hawk defeating the challenger with a flying kick. Then, the manager of the Pit, Jolene, came on the ring and gave back the champion's belt to Rawk Hawk.

-Oh, what I would give to actually get my hand on that belt...

-If you are willing to trade it for all of your slaves, I'll get it for you.

Russ turned his head quickly, looking at Pigno. He was still unsteady on his feet, holding on Number Two's shoulder, but he seemed fully aware of what was happening. The Koopa apparently did the same thing, since he was holding his neck, looking in pain.

-If you are serious about that, I'd be giving you more than that, I'd give you my whole domain! I may not look like much, but my father was a fighter once, in a war against Bowser. He took down a general, I heard, and received Amanita Plains in exchange of his service. His only regret was to not being able to enter the Glitz Pit, being too old when it opened.

After this surprising piece of information, the Koopa, looking older after the talk of his past, showed them Number's Two room and told them to sleep there for the night.

-I'm sorry, Russ, Pigno said, I took that decision without consulting with you but I couldn't just leave them alone. I guess we will have to separate.

-Yes, we will, but not for long. That was actually a very good idea you had, my friend. We will accomplish many objectives like that! You will get stronger, we will get gold coins from the matches, we will be able to save those slaves and you even get a house! No more sleeping outside for you. Also, during that time I will go to the Chancellor alone so I can tell him everything that happened. Surely he will help us out now that we have proofs. Once I'm done with that, I'll pack up more things and join you in Glitzville.

-You sure thought about it a lot, Russ. Alright, I'll just have to train like crazy until I get the belt. I sure hope I can do it before three month. You sure are quiet, is something wrong?

Seeing as the question was directed toward her, Number Two shook her head.

-I'm just... Overwhelmed. I've been here ever since I was a child, and now I will leave toward the unknown. I'm scared... Oh, but I won't fail my duty as a slave, I'll do anything you ask, Masters!

Her eyes were absent during the last part of her sentence.

-First of all, began Russ, you are not our slave, you are free. If you want to travel with us, then that's fine and if you don't that's fine, too.

-Secondly, continued Pigno, you should find a name, Number Two isn't really fitting for you.

-I... I can't do that... I never had one.

-Then, from now on, you are Chari. Chari T. It's a lot more like you, Pigno said while winking, you did save my life.

Crying, she hid her head on her pillow while repeating her name and her thanks toward them. Both guy smiled. Their journey just took an interesting turn, it seemed.


End file.
